The immigration officials at Afghanistan offered Richard (now Radhanath Swami) a cordial welcome, quite different from the other border guards. At Herat Richard found the people friendly and charming. Although they were the poorest people Richard had seen in his travels yet, everyone he met offered a smile and no one asked him for anything. On the contrary they were eager to share whatever little they had. Each day the people invited Richard to their homes. Richard was amazed to see these simple people; they were humble and wise, living with dignity through the tribulations of their lives. The mixture of poverty and happiness was shocking to Richard; it was the communication of their heart that was especially satisfying to him. He even wrote a letter home appreciating the friendly and peaceful residents of Herat.

To be honest I was initially shocked on reading Radhanath Swami’s experience at Herat. To me Afghanistan is a bloody seat of Taliban and a hot bed of violence. However Radhanath Swami’s experience makes me feel it is a wonderful place. I remember an Indian friend who went to Australia to study. He wrote to me about his Pakistani friend in college. I was shocked then wondering how could a Pakistani and an Indian become good friends; after all the countries are always at loggerheads with each other. As if anticipating my concern, he wrote about how their common cultures, attracted them to each other in a foreign place. They both were from the same subcontinent; they shared the same language, music, and attraction for cricket. The common culture united the two, even thousands of miles away. I realized how narrow our view point of life is; we often hate for no reason, and form a prejudice that has hardly any resemblance to reality. Humans are the same everywhere; the soul is potentially divine even in a terror torn country. Once the external façade is removed, we can discover the natural love and camaraderie that can bind all humans together.

Once at a holy place called Ekachakra, in Bengal, India, Radhanath Swami was delivering a lecture on how God unites all of us on the spiritual platform. In that class were two of Radhanath Swami’s colleagues, one from Germany and the other from America. The former’s ancestors were Nazis and the latter’s family was Jew and their forefathers had fled Germany in fear of the Nazis. A few generations ago both families were sworn enemies of each other. Today both are spiritual teachers and lovers of God, sharing heart to heart friendship with each other and also helping millions of others discover their dormant love for God. Radhanath Swami thus practically demonstrated the power of love and how love for God can unite people of all religions and nations.

Today Radhanath Swami has students and fans in Russia, USA, Pakistan and India, besides other nations. All these men and women are from different cultural backgrounds, yet they all share the same affection and love for Radhanath Swami. His teachings and practise of recognizing the innate goodness in all and fanning the spark of spirituality in them has helped him unite people all over the world under one banner of love for God.

When heart is free from material contamination the pure soul will be seen.This is proved by CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU .iN JARKHAND FOREST hE DANCED WITH THE tIGERS AND OTHER ANIMALS WHO WERE CHANTING THE MAHAMANTRA AND DANCED IN BLISS.tHANK YOU MAHARAJ.

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Buy Journey Home By Radhanath Swami

Table of Contents

I Journey to the East
II Mother India
III Himalayan Pilgrimage
IV Forest of Grace

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The Journey Home Book

‘The Journey Home - Autobiography of an American Swami’ Book is an engaging, humorous and heart-warming account of a young nineteen year old’s quest for spiritual enlightenment. The reader follows Richard Slavin (Now Radhanath Swami) from the suburbs of Chicago to the caves of Himalayas as he goes through a variety of exciting adventures; some near-death encounters and many spiritual experiences. Regular reading of this all-time classic has helped me draw spiritual lessons and seek constant inspiration in my own spiritual journey.

Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Teachings of Srila Prabhupada can be found at prabhupadavani.org.

Radhanath Swami

“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........more about radhanath swamiTeachings of Radhanath Swami can be found at radhanathswami.info. Radhanath Swami travels around the world and frequently lectures throughout the United States and Europe. He is based at Radha Gopinath Temple in Mumbai, India.

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